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J. D. SHOCKLEY.

HENS NEST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. 1918. l ,3 l 5,046., Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

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ff I /f WWI h 3 f @lf an fw JOHN D. sHooKLnY, or NnwBnnnY, souris: CAROLINA.

relacio.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filedMarch 13, 1918. Serial No. 222,125.

" To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN D. SHooKLnr,` a citizen of the United States, residing `at Newberry, in the county of Newberry and State of South Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hensl Nests, of

which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in hens7 nests, and particularly to trap nests of` that type wherein a trap door is automatically closed behind the hen when she enters the nest, whereby the hen will be held con fined for any period desired for the purpose of enabling a record of the number of eggs laid by a particular hento be made, as well as to enable a poultryman to keep a hen conlined during a setting period.

The object of the invention is to provide a trap nest which is simple, reliable, efficient, and inexpensive in construction and opera` tion, which obviates the use of complex working parts, which permits freeventilation and easy cleaning ofthe nest, and which also allows food and water to be conveniently supplied,` while protecting the hen and contents of the nest from dogs or other y animals, and preventing thieves or other unauthorized persons from having access to the nest.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, in which y Figure l is a front elevatio-nof one form of trap nest embodying my invention.-

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of thesame on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 3 and it are front-torea`r sections on the lines 3 3 and 4.-4: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view of the door controlling mechanism. p i y Referring `to the drawing, 1 y designates lmy improved hen nest, which comprises a box of rectangular or Oblong rectangular form, and which may be made of wood, metal or any other suitable material or combination ofijnaterials. The box embodies in its organization a bottom wall 2, ,front wall 3, rear wall Ll and side walls 5` suitably con` The upper edges ofthe side walls are arranged to slope forwardly and rearwardly, as shown at 6 and 7 respectively, and r1g` idly secured to the, sloping rear `portion 7 is a top wall 8, covering substantially the rear l half of the box. To the forward edge of this top `wall S is hinged, as at 9, a door or cover 10, adapted. to rest when in `closed position upon the front inclined edges 6 and to cover the forward half of the box. A lock llof any suitable vconstruction ispro-vided for` securingl Ithe door in closed position. The front and rear "walls terminate below theupper edge ofthe side walls, so as to provide openings or spaces 12 for free ventilation throughout the nest under all conditions. These openings may be covered, if desired, by screen material, but are such size as to prevent access of rodents or other animals to the nest, and too small to permit of the insertion of the human hand within thenest when the door is locked, so that ac cess to the nest can only be obtained by a person possessed of a proper type of key. A suitable opening or door way 13 of restricted size, ishowever provided `in the front wall 3 to permit free entrance and exit of the hen except at such times c s `when the trap door is closed.

Theinterior of the box is divided by a partition 14 into compartments `15 and 16, said partition extending the full depth of theside walls and having sloping surfaces conforming to the sloping edges thereof.

Thecompartment 15 isarranged at one side of the center ofthe box and forms a passage way for the entrance and exit of the hen, 'which passage way communicatesat its forward end with the door way or opening 13. The compartment 16 is subdivided by a short transverse partition 17 into a forward nest chamber 18 and a rear antechamber 1f),` which antechamber `is in communication with the rear portion of the passage way 15 through a restricted opening 20 in the partition 14,such opening 20 'heilig of just suf` icient size 'to permit of the passage of a hen` between the passage way and antechamber.` The partition 17 forms a short wall to retain and prevent the nest material from being scattered, but is sufiiciently low in height to permit the hen to pass thereover.`

'llhe antechamber forms a compartment in which food and drink may be placed when 1t `is desired vto confine the `hen for any considerable period, such as for a setting period.. The food" and water may be introduced atl intervalsfinto the antechamber through the passage way 15 and opening-Q0 when the upper door or cover 10` is thrown open, thus avoiding the necessity of disturbing the hen or setting of eggs in the nest chamber', such as would be liable to o'ccur in passingV food and water through said chamber.

A vertical sliding trap door 21 is provided for closing the door way 13, and this trap door is mounted to slide between the front wall and guide strips 22 secured to the adjacent side wall and partition 14. Carried by the door is a pin or projection 23 which is adapted to rest upon a latch rod 24, pivoted to one of the guides 22, as shown at 25, the opposite end of said latch rod being connected with one end of a wire or like connection 26 leading through guides 27 to the rear free edge of a depressible platform 28. The platform 28 is arranged within the passage way 15 and is hinged at its forward edge to the bottom wall 2, a suitable spring or springs 29 being associated with the pivotal connection to hold the platform elevated when raised to a certain position. IVhen the pinl or projection 23 is engaged with the latch rod 2=l the door 21 will be held open, allowing the hen to enter the passage way. When, however, the hen steps upon the depressible platform in passing through the passage way into the antechamber, such platform will be depressed and will draw upon the fiexible connection 26 to swing the latch bar rearwardly, thus withdrawing it from engagement with the pin and allowing the door to drop by gravity to close the opening 1.3, whereby the hen will be confined within the nest box. In setting the trap door for operation, the door is raised until the pin 23 is` sufficiently elevated to engage the latch bar, andY the platform is then elevated and the latch bar moved rearwardly into engagement with the pin, thus holding the door from downward movement in an obvious manner. In practice, it will be understood that-the .wire or like connection26 is sufiiciently stiff to adapt the end thereof connected with the latch bar 24E to hold said bar supported under the weight of the door. This end of the connection 26 may be reinforced'andv made comparatively short, for the purpose described, by disposing the forward guide 27 in close proximity to the latch member.v A lso it Will be understood that the door 21 may be fitted to slide in its guides With sufficient ease to adapt it to close easily by gravity when released,` but with sufficient friction to require but a small amount of resistance on the part of the latch bar 2-1 to hold. the door supported.

It will be observed that by the construction described direct communication between the passage way and the nest chamber is prevented, and indirect communication between the same and the nest chamber is afforded through the opening 20 between the rear end of the passage way and the antechamber. vBy this means, when the door or cover 10Y is closed, the hen is permitted to have free entrance and exit through the opening 18, but the contents of the nest chamber are protected from theft, because of the impossibility of a would-be thief passing his hand into the nest chamber through the indirect channel afforded. Also this indirect channel deters or prevents rats or other animals from passing into the nest chamber. By using the nest as a trap nest, it is obvious that the laying capacity of a hen may be determined in the usual way, and that the trap door may be kept closed to keep a shirking hen confined throughout a full setting period, thus preventing the hen from leaving the nest and allowing the eggs to spoil. Other advantages of the construction will be obvious to those versed in the art from the foregoing description.

It will, of course, be understood that while I have shown a nest box having al single nest compartment and single passage way communicating therewith, any number of nest chambers and passage ways may be provided in a nest box by simply increasing the size thereof to the extent desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A hens nest having an entrance and exit passage provided with a doorway, a vertically sliding door, a spring elevated depressible platform in said passage, a latch bar hinged at one end to the nest structure at one side of the passage and projecting across the doorway to the opposite side of the passage, spaced guides at the latter named side of the passage arranged at different elevations and respectively in proximity to the doorway and depressible platform, a projection upon the door adapted to rest upon the latch bar when the latter is held elevated and in horizontal position, and a wire connection extending through said guides and terminally coupled to the platform and to the free end of the latch bar said wire being sufficiently stiff` to support the door.

2. A hens nest comprising a box or casing embodying bottom, side. front and rear walls, said front wall being provided with a door way, a` partition extending between the front and rear Walls and separating the interior of said casing into a passage way communicating with said door way and a nest compartment communicating with said passage way, the said side walls and paitition having their upper edges extended above the plane of the upper edges of the front and rear walls and sloping from a central point toward the front and rear of the casing, a short vertical transverse partition within the nest compartment separating the same into a front nest chamber and a rear antechamber, a door for closing the door way, a fixed wall covering the rear portion of the passage way and antechamber Aind the rear portion of the nest chamber said xedwaii and cover being thereby eupand resting upon the rear sloping surfaces ported above the upper edges of the front of the side Walls and ii'st named partition, and rear Walls to form intervening ventiialo and n front cover hinged to said fixed Well tion passages, and ineens for looking said and adapted When in closed position to rest cover in Closed position.

upon the front portion of the sloping edges In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

of said side Walls and first named partition, JOHN D. SHOCKLEY.

Copies oi this patent may be obtainedfor ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

